Instituo
by xxichininxnioitexsonoxamexx
Summary: She was a puzzle to him. A puzzle that must be put back together, so you can reveal the true image. But there were so many pieces, could he really find them all?  Sorry bad with summaries . HitsugayaxOC RATING FOR LANGUAGE
1. Prologue

Prologue

**Instituo (Forgotten)**

****Hiii~ Oh wow it's been forever, but I'm finally posting things again! Now this is my story, my HitsugayaxOC story that I have been playing in my head for..like...two years XD, and now I am finally writing it! And forgive me for the shortness of this prologue! It's just a prologue that I wrote late last night..or I guess early this morning because it was about 6 am ^^'. But yeah, here's the story, um. I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTERS! And yeah. So enjoy. And oh yeah, rating for language.

Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama, Action, Mystery

_"All things that are lost, will eventually be found," _

Toshiro Hitsugaya was angry, very angry. It was a hot spring day, and even with the windows open, he couldn't help the beads of sweat that poured down his brow and onto his desk. His paper work was piled high, giving him a pounding headache, along with his bodacious fukutaichou whining about himself being so grumpy.

"Nehhh~ Taichou!" She whined "You need to loosen up! Let's go get a massage! Or let's go on a leave to the world of the living-"She continued to ramble on.

The captain gripped his brush tightly, the wood whining under his strong grip. "Matsumoto, I am warning you, _please_ shut up!" He practically begged, running a hand through his damp hair. Another thing that pissed him off, he HATED being wet.

Rangiku pouted and slammed her hands on his desk, causing him to twitch. "I know what you need! You need a girlfriend to loosen you up!" She stated with a nod "Yeah! Someone that will calm you down,"

Hitsugaya slammed his fist on the table, causing his bubbly fukutachiou to yelp and back up a little "I do NOT need a girlfriend or ANYBODY for that matter," He yelled, losing his temper. No, scratch that, his temper was lost a LONG time ago when he made the terrible mistake of making Rangiku Matsumoto his fukutaichou.

Matsumoto frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but then a hell butterfly came into the room.

'_All taichous report to the meeting hall, immediately,' _

'Great now I have to report to a meeting, soaking wet in sweat,' Toshiro cursed in his head as he got up and began to walk out the door, then stopped abruptly.

"Matsumoto," He glanced over his shoulder and looked at her, twitching widely. "If I come back to unfinished paperwork assigned to you, I'll freeze all of your sake and shatter the bottles," And with that he flashed off, leaving his fukutaichou scrambling to get her work done.

Hitsugaya arrived at the captains meeting and took his place as the others arrived. He had the urge to ask Ukitake if he knew what was going on, but didn't because of the confusion in the room and obvious chatter of the same question.

After the rest of the captains arrived, the banging of wood on wood echoed through the room and the attention was turned on to the only man who got to sit on the damn chair, Yamamoto-sou-taichou.

"My greatest apologies for this inconvenience," His gruff voice echoed through the room "But the matter is quite important for recent events. As of two hours ago, a clan that goes by the name of Kusana, was recently charged with the torture and murder of two unranked shinigami sent to the Rukon district to settle some disturbances,"

The small captain knitted his eyebrows together and listened further. "The clan members are currently under arrest and will be interrogated for further investigation. But as of right now, one of the members will be interrogated today, in this room,"

Toshiro fought the urge to roll his eyes at the last sentence. 'Yeah, great. We get to listen to some sociopath ramble about their reasons for hating all shinigami,' He scoffed in his head.

'_Patience young one, take interest in this,' _Hyourinmaru scolded in retort, which didn't get a response from the young captain.

"Bring her in Sasakibe," The old man called, opening his beady eyes while looking at the door. The mustached man walked in the door, dragging something much smaller behind him. "Go," He ordered coldly, pushing the figure in front of him, in which it landed on its knees. Though it wasn't an it. That it was a soul, and that soul was a girl.

Toshiro blinked and raised an eyebrow at her. She had very long ebony hair, which looked like it needed to be cut badly. Looking down to her face, which was mainly covered by her bangs, leading to more reasoning as to why it needed to be cut, she had light purple eyes that darted across the room, glaring at all the captains. And she was _tiny, VERY TINY. _She looked like she would just break if even a feather touched her skin. But that wasn't what puzzled the youngest captain the most, under her eyes were deep bags of insomnia, which completely washed out her almost alabaster skin tone.

'She's just a child,' Toshiro scoffed in his head. 'What does the sou-taichou want with just a mere child?' Many questions like this ran through all the captains' heads, while a small murmur spread through the room that was almost instantaneously hushed by the once again pounding of the head captains' walking stick on wood.

"Silence!" He scolded; everything fell silent.

"What is your name child?" He asked, with plenty stern in his tone. She looked up at him, her face blank but her eyes glaring daggers at him

"Kusana Hachi," She mumbled.

ONCE AGAIN FORGIVE ME FOR SHORTNESS D:! But yes, please review, and use constructive criticism please~ And I'll try to update every monday or so, so far I haven't worked out my schedule but that's my goal~ Ok bai bai~


	2. Chapter 1 Time

Well, this is chapter one of Instituo~ The last was a prologue, and I didn't get a review on it..BUT I SAW YOU PEOPLE READ 0.0 I CHECKED THE TRAFFIC! Anyway, I had a late update because of exams, and yadda yadda yadda. Anyway PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review~ I promise I'll write better if anyone gives me advice to do so~. Oh, and the boringness will go away after awhile, I just have to get everything started..but it does get good! Trust me, I've been working on this story for two years -.-. Anyway, enjoy~

Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama, Action, Mystery

**Instituo (Forgotten)**

Chapter One

Time

_ "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." -Unkown_

* * *

><p>Who knows how long it's been, being locked up in this room. Staring at nothing but dark blank walls, rolling around in my own misery, and losing all of my "humanity" a long time ago. What is it that has kept me alive? What is that small little slither of hope that I have, somewhere deep within the depths of my brain, that holds me back from ending it all?<p>

Why won't it just leave me be?

"Hado No.33, Shakkaho!" _Crash_

Light poured into the room, causing me to squint and shield my eyes with my arm.

_No one _was supposed to enter this room, _no one _was allowed to break the door.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed, cold venom in my voice.

The figure walked in; short black hair, short in height, shinigami uniform, purple eyes, and milky skin.

"Child," Her voice was cold and serious. "Under the sou-taichou of the Gotei thirteen court guard divisions, you and your clan are under arrest for the capture and murder of two shinigami."

I widened my eyes-not at the charges, that didn't surprise me one bit, - but at the arrest. Is this the hope? That one little slither of hope that I held on to, is it this arrest? Even though I'll be put into another cell, or even worse dead, maybe I can at least see the sun again.

This better not be a dream.

"Do not resist!" She ordered, walking up to me. For an instant, she froze. Sympathy was present in her eyes; it almost seemed like, she didn't want to arrest me, but rather help me. I don't blame her though; I was quite a pathetic sight.

I looked like I was starved for one. The only food supply I had was the "Apply water to powder," shit that I was forced to eat every day. (Also, it doesn't help that I'm already a stick to begin with.) For two, due to lack of sleep and light, I developed deep bags under my eyes, that were the only thing that stuck out from my bleached out skin tone. Oh hell, don't even get my started on my hair. It was touching the midst of my ass and my frontal bangs were covering my face.

So all-in-all, I look like a crazed, psychopathic, agoraphobic, anorexic murderer.

.  
>But that look of sympathy was stowed away as I held out my wrists and looked to the side, ashamed of my appearance. She gently grabbed them and tied them behind my back and led me out the door.<br>I gulped; every step I took seemed slower than the last. The light, which came from the destroyed door, seemed to distance from me as I reached it. My head was spinning and my vision turned everything into a spiraling tunnel that never ended.

I could feel the shinigamis eyes on me as we made our way to the door. I know I looked dazed, but she doesn't know that I haven't seen light in years. This room has been my personal hell for god knows how long. The only light I had was the small crack between the door and the floor that illuminated the wood canvas only two inches or so.

So this is a heaven.

I took my first step into the light and widened my dull eyes. Warmth.

"Mother of holy hell," I mumbled, losing my footing and all consciences.

"_Hachi-kun, you're home," _

_She always had that wonderful smile on her wrinkled face._

"_Hai~ it's good to see you!" _

_Even after losing everything she had, she still smiled. _

"_Look! You got so much taller!" _

"_Haha! I know! I'm at least four feet now!" _

_I swore to protect her; she would always smile. _

"_I can tell! You'll be as tall as your mom! Now lets' go get some te-Gah!" __**Blood.**_

_I failed her though. She counted on me, and I failed. _

_I ended up in here, because I failed. _

I gasped and woke with a start. Beads of sweat were pouring down my face and my whole body shook.

'_Shit, I haven't had that dream in a long time..'_

I panted and held a hand over my heart and took deep breaths, trying to recollect myself. I heard the door open; my head shot up in surprise and then took in my surroundings.

The cell was dark but with a dim light on the other side of the bars, to my left was a small chair, and I was lying on a beat up futon.

…At least there was light...

The figure in front of me was different; he had white, oddly styled hair, a black mustache, and a jinbaori on top of his shinigami uniform.

"Miss, you've been out for at least a couple hours now, would you like some water?" He asked very politely, handing me a cup through the bars.

I blinked at his kindness, slightly surprised, but took it with gratitude and gulped it down quickly. The cool liquid poured down my throat, easing my dry mouth and throat.

I handed the empty cup back to him "…T..thank you.." I squeaked out, flinching a little at my own hoarse and 'cracky' voice.

The man blinked and took the cup back and placed it on the ground, eyeing me. "…Miss, do you need anything else?"

_'Hah, what kind of question is that? I need food, a gallon or two of water, a haircut, new clothes, and holy hell, A FUCKING BATH!'_

"Um..n-no..thank you.." I squeaked out, cursing at my voice.

"You don't look like you would hurt a thing," He said after a moment or two of awkward silence. I blinked and looked down.

"The rest of your clan was acting like beasts when we found them, you were the only one that remained quiet," The mustached man said with a nod. "What is your name?"

"Ku-Kusana Hachi…and y-yours?"

'God damn stuttering,'

"Sasakibe Chojiro, tell me, why were you locked in that room?"

I flinched and scowled, staring heavily at the floor "..I.."

Just then a hell butterfly came into the room and landed on Chojiros finger.

"..Right, Kusana-san, please come with me," He opened up the cell and gestured me out.

I sighed and stood up with rubbery legs. He grabbed my wrists and tied them behind me again and began to escort me out of the room.

Sasakibe led me down a long corridor, and to an elongated bridge outside.

I flinched at the sunlight and felt extremely light headed, but somehow maintained my consciousness. Every step I took on the warm wood seemed to heat my insides and made me feel….alive. The birds outside pushed back the irksome ringing in my ears by singing their love songs to one another, and, oh thank Gods for this, every bend of my joints, and every shift of my weight on each foot after a stride, eased the stiffness and creakiness of my muscles and bones.

'_Haha,"_ I laughed dryly in my head _"Maybe Gods do exist after all.."_

We arrived at two great big doors with a kanji symbol for "one" on it and they opened up, creaking as they did so.

"Go," The mustached man ordered coldly, then suddenly pushing me into the room.

I flinched and gasped a little at his sudden change of behavior and fell to my knees, then darted my eyes across the room.

Staring at me, all of them staring at me. Captains of the Gotei thirteen court guard divisions all staring at me with quizzical looks.

My head became fuzzy, feeling overwhelmed, frightened, anxious, and embarrassment all at the same time.

Why am I here? What do these captains want with me? I'm not special, I'm not exciting. I look like a freak, I smell, I can barely talk, and just came from a dark and damp dwelling.

May Gods have mercy on my soul.

"What is your name child?" The old man in front of me asked gruffness in his voice.

"K-Kusana Hachi.." I squeaked out, trying to make my voice as loud as possible.

"Do you know why you are here?" He asked, opening a squinty eye.

I shook my head "N..No sir, I don't.." I clenched my fists behind my back, trying hard to keep myself from passing out.

After a moment of him eyeing me, and me shaking and avoiding his stare, he spoke

"When we arrested your clan, you were the one that looked most suspicious, along with that; you looked the sanest as well,"

'Well damn, I guess to everyone else, I must look like a fuckin' rose, ain't that lovely?'

"What do you know about the murders of the two shinigami?" He asked gruffly.

I, though much to my reluctance and the voice screaming in my head 'Keep looking down you dumbass!' looked up at him and sighed "I..I don't know anything sir…I've been locked up for..awhile now,"

Well, that's a first sentence without a stutter.

"How long have you been in there?"

"I don't know sir, I lost track of time," I stated again, my voice cracking terribly

There was another silence; he seemed to be thinking or, rather, contemplating something.

"Is that why you look like that?" He asked

I twitched internally. _'Gee, thanks asshole,'_

"Yes sir,"

"How old are ya' kid?" A voice to my right asked.

I looked up at a rather hairy man with a pink kimono over his captain's haori and a straw hat on. He seemed to be smiling down at me with a glint of sympathy in his eyes

"I..I'm fifty sir," I stated with a nod.

I felt a sudden tension rise in the room, and some whispers broke out.

"Is she really fifty?"

_Shut up._

"She's so young, poor thing,"

_Shut up._

"Why are we interrogating an incompetent child?"

_Shut up!_

"She's younger that Hitsugaya Toshiro,"

_Shut the hell up! I can hear all of you!_

I clenched my fists angrily and gritted my teeth. I HATED it when people stare and talk about me.

I'm nothing. Just another soul, nothing special about me, so leave me alone.

A loud _boom_ echoed across the room, making me jump and yelp a tiny bit; everyone else hushed up.

"Kusana Hachi," The old man started. "Through some contemplation, I will decide what your fate is, but for now, I put you in the care of Unohana Retsu, taichou of squad four, where she will tend to you,"

He then banged his cane on the wood again "Dismissed!" and the captains began to walk out.

I looked down, feeling everyones eyes on me. What was going through their heads? I don't know, nor do I WANT to know.

For a moment or two, everyone walked out, then I saw a black hakama stop in front of me and I looked up.

A sweet looking woman stood in front of me with a gentle smile on her features and her hair braided in the front.

How the hell she managed that, I have no idea.

"Kusana-san," She started, her voice meek and soft, like her features "Please, come with me, you can bathe and I'll give you some fresh clothes,"

"H..hai!" I squeaked again, but a sudden happiness to my voice

'…._Maybe..this is the hope,' _

Toshiro scowled heavily in deep thought as he made his way back to his office

_'You saw that girl Hyorinmaru,'_

_'Yes I did, she looked weak and frail,'_

Hitsugaya sighed and rubbed his temples

_'She looked quite pathetic,'_ The dragon continued in his deep voice. _'I don't we've seen someone look that…'_ He paused._'Weak before,'_

'_Yeah, well it's up to the sou-taichou now what her fate is,'_

The small captain arrived back to his office shortly and nodded in satisfaction at his fukutaichous finished paperwork.

She looked over at him, exhausted "Taichou you're back~" She chimed "How was the meeting? What happened?"

The captain sighed, slightly annoyed at her cheery voice, and he sat down. "..The sou-taichou was interrogating a girl by the name of Kusana Hachi, and for some reason, we had to be there,"

Rangiku grinned and walked up to his desk. "Ohh~ Was she cute~?"

He twitched. "Urusai baka!" Toshiro huffed and crossed his arms. "She looked like she hasn't seen the light of day in years," He said with a nod, then scowled in thought, remembering how she looked. "She..looked scared and highly malnourished…She was very pale and had a very lack-luster look to her eyes,"

The busty woman frowned and crossed her arms "What was he interrogating her about?"

Toshiro took a drink of his tea, then swallowed and continued. "Apparently, she is a part of some sort of…" He paused. "Sadistic clan, and some of the members killed two of shinigami. The sou-taichou said that she was the only one that looked reputable and sane for questioning,"

Matsumoto huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Mattaku, we have enough drama as it is, now we have this to deal with…damn," She walked over to the couch and plopped on it.

Hitsugaya sighed and crossed his small arms over his chest. "Whatever may happen, stay on your guard Matsumoto, I don't want anyone else getting hurt," He said with a nod. '_..I have a bad feeling about this..'_


	3. Chapter 2 Hope

First I wanna say thanks to izzylovesanime and xfang-girlx for my first two reviews! I really appreciate it~ Ok, so in this chapter, it goes into more depth into Hachis story~ Though, it is kind of boring and I don't think I explained it very well...BUT ANYWAY! Please review~ I need more~ I need more feedback~ Oh, and by the way, I have a DA account, link is on my profile. I do requests and such, so check it out if you want too~ Anyway, review please and I hope you enjoy the chapter~

Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama, Action, Mystery

**Instituo (Forgotten)**

Chapter Two

Hope

_"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." _  
><em>-Carl Sagan<em>

"Ahh~" I chimed, sinking down into the warm water of the bath.

"This is wonderful~ after all these years, I finally get a bath~

It's true; I haven't even had a proper bath in that room. I would try to wash my clothes and my hair in the sink, but since my hair is so long, I could only get my scalp.

Plus, I don't think hand soap is the best for hair.

Oh, and did I mention that I got my voice back?

I must have soaked for at least an hour and a half, before I heard a soft knock on the door.

"May I come in?

"Yeah, give me a minute," I stood up and put a towel over my frail body and opened the door.

The woman in front of me, who I had been introduced to prior to my bath, was a girl by the name of Isane Kiyone, lieutenant of squad four.

"Kusana-san, you've been in there for awhile," She said, fidgeting a little bit.

I nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I just needed a proper bath,"

She shook her head frantically and sweatdropped. "No no no! It's ok, I just didn't want you to prune!" The lieutenant sighed. "Your dinner is being prepared, I also have a yukata for you,"

Kotetsu handed me the white cloth; I thanked her, then she left.

I sighed then dropped my towel and walked over to the full body mirror on the far side of the bathroom.

I scowled at my appearance. I was very, very, very, VERY boney; you could count my ribs. My cheekbones were shown, along with the bones in my elbows and collar. I had almost no figure or any sort of attractive appeal.

I hate the way I look.

Putting the yukata on, which practically hung on my body, I walked over to the sink and pulled out a pair of nail clippers and cut my finger and toenails to the nub.

I _hated _long fingernails. They were disgusting to me; plus it didn't help that, unlike most women of my ethnicity, I had small hands, with short stubby fingers. Yeah, _huge _contradiction on my part.

Then, taking a pair of sharp scissors, which were provided for me upon my request, I cut at least a good five or six inch of my hair off, leaving the length at the arch of my back. I reached around and cut my bangs,that were once touching my bottom lip, to just above my eyelids, letting me see and not look like some sort of creepy little girl. (COUGHGRUDGECOUGH) And finally, I cut the two pieces of fringe, which covered my ears, to right above the swell of my breast.

Somewhat, satisfied at how I looked, which wasn't satisfied at all, more like I looked less like a freak and probably my hair was terribly cut in the back, I pulled the heavy locks up it up into two buns. One for the top half of my hair, and one on the bottom; then I secured the two buns together with a lime green ribbon.

I sighed and walked out of the stuffy bathroom, taking in a deep breath of the fresh sweet spring air coming from the open windows in the hall.

Kotetsu walked up to me and smiled gently. "Follow me Kusana-san,"

I nodded, staying silent as I walked behind her, avoiding the odd stares coming from the other squad members.

I crossed my arms, agitated at their confused and somewhat skeptical gossip.

"Oh my Gods, she looks like witch," Was one.

"Ew, what a creep. Isn't she from that clan who killed those two shinigami?" Was another.

Oh and here is the best one.

"Are you sure that's a girl? She has no figure..."

'_Oh such a classic there buddy, you really are making your way up the comedy train huh?' _I scoffed coldly in my head, internally flipping him off.

Eventually, we arrived into a small hospital room. Nothing really special about it, a bed to the far right corner right by the window, a night stand right beside that, along with a tray full of food….

Wait a second.

I widened my eyes and held my stomach. The taller woman smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Hayashi Raisu*, Korokke*, fried rice, and hot tea all for you," She said sweetly. "Unohana-taichou was appalled at how skinny you are, so she made sure this was all prepared nice and fresh for you,"

I paid very little mind to her words and ran over to the tray and took my first bite of Korokke and shivered a little.

Flavor exploded in my mouth and warmed my insides as I chewed and swallowed.

Unlike the apply water to powder, this food didn't just sit in my stomach; it went down my esophagus nice and easy along with the warm Eral Grey* tea.

I paused for a moment, taking in all of the food. Kotetsuyelped and flailed her arms

"I-Is it ok?" She asked franticly.

I replied with mowing down the food at a god like speed, completely ignoring her protests.

Real food, actual food; warm and tasteful food.

Within ten minutes or so, I finished, taking in my last gulp of the tea. I leaned against the bed and rubbed my stomach.

'_Oh, please don't be playing tricks on me,' _I whined internally.

Kotetsu walked up to me and took up the plates. "Well, I'm glad you liked it," She said with a smile. "Even if it was just hospital food…"

I shook my head. "Believe me, I couldn't tell the difference," I reassured with a faint grin.

The lieutenant smiled and bowed when she saw her captain walk in.

"Unohana-taicho," She greeted respectfully.

The older woman smiled and dismissed her lieutenant. "I see that you ate all of your food; you must've been starving," She looked over at me with sweet dark blue orbs "The reason why I came in here for was to do a full body exam on you Kusana-san,"

I blinked "Full body exam?"

She nodded "Hai, I need to check your weight, blood pressure, and all of your vital signs," The captain turned and began to walk out of the room. "Come with me please,"

I walked out with her and into a bright room accompanied by a scale, stethoscope, IV machine, a bed, a cabinet, and some other utilities that I didn't know the name of.

Unohana led me to the scale and took my measurements; she adjusted the weight to eighty, then seventy, then sixty, then fifty, then forty, then thirty, and finally stopped at twenty.

She almost seemed to scowl and took my height: four feet to the dot.

The woman sighed and had me step off then sat me on the bed and took my blood pressure. Now she was defiantly scowling.

Unohana checked a couple more things, breathing, heart rate, etc, then looked down at me and crossed her arms.

"I'm surprised you're even alive right now," She said bluntly.

I blinked in surprise and raised an eyebrow. "H-how?" I stuttered in disbelief.

I mean, I know I'm unhealthy, but how unhealthy could I be? I just thought I was malnourished.

She looked on my chart and began to read off of it. "You're blood pressure is ninety over sixty, you're four feet and weigh twenty pounds, you're heart rate is only fifty-five beats per minute, and you're sleep deprived,"

I sweat dropped. "That..isn't good.." I said stupidly, slowly comprehending what she was saying.

Unohana sighed and flipped through the chart and wrote some things down; then she looked up at me.

"Normally, I would give you vitamin pills and order you to rest, but I have to wait on the sou-taichous decision on what your fate is," She closed her eyes and put the chart on the counter. "But for now, since you're still in custody, I'm going to have to monitor you in this room until further notice,"

I sighed and nodded. "So, to my understanding, you can't give me the medication that I need to improve my health?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not," Unohana then smiled and patted my bony hand. "But don't worry; I'm sure it'll only be a couple of hours before he makes his final verdict,"

I blinked and smiled faintly. "Thank you for your reassurance, Unohana-taichou,"

She nodded then walked out of the room and closed the door tightly.

After a few minutes and dropped my head into my hands and laughed dryly.

"Oh man," I said to myself. "This is just insane. One minute I'm locked in a dreadful little shit hole, and now I'm in the squad four barracks awaiting my fate by the sou-taichou," I leaned back onto the wall in a slouch. "Ain't reality one hell of a little bitch?"

**XOXCHANGEXOX**

Hitsugaya Toshiro was walking to the first squad barracks in the evening with his arms crossed and his normal "stern" look present on his features.

Ever since the meeting, he had been bothered by Kusana Hachi. The way she looked, talked, her reiatsu level, the alleged "sadistic" clan that the head captain had explained; all of it puzzled him.

He had never heard of the "Kusana" clan, so it couldn't be a part of the Seireitei. That girl looked weak and harmless, so she couldn't have killed those shinigami, and more importantly, _why _did she look so..

'_Helpless?" _Hyorinmaru said bluntly, interrupting Toshiros thoughts.

_'I guess you could call it that..' _Toshiro responded, a little unsure.

The ice-dragon chuckled a little in his head. _'This..incident, has been lingering on your mind all day. Does it puzzle you that much master?'_

The captain sighed, slightly irritated. _'Yes Hyorinmaru, I think you would know that,'_

_'Always with the temper,' _The spirit scolded in a slightly teasing manor. _'You have yet to know what is a head of you. Prepare yourself young one,'_

_'What do you mean?" _Hitsugaya asked a little confused.

No response.

The tenth division captain sighed and internally smacked his forehead.

Hyorinmaru always left him with even more anxiousness and desire to know what was going to happen.

'_Tch, what a helpful Zanpakuto _you _are,'_

The small captain arrived at the office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," The head captains gruff voice called through the other side of the door.

Toshiro walked in and stood a couple feet away from the desk.

"You called for me sir?"

The old man nodded. "Yes," He then opened one beady eye and looked at the prodigy.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro, I have come to my decision on to what Kusana Hachis fate is,"

There was a moment of silence, and Toshiro could've sworn he heard his Zanpakuto spirit say 'Here it comes,' in his head.

The old man closed his opened eye and stood up, then walked to the balcony of his office.

"But first, I have come to discover, through some of the interrogation of the other clan members, that originally the clan was not as murderous as they are at this moment," He started off. "The only one left that isn't insane is Kusana Hachi, and due to the history of the clan and what the old philosophy of it is, I want her to be the leader," The old man turned around and faced Toshiro.

"Now, to what information has told us, the sole purpose of the clan existence, as of their current leadership, they want to destroy all shinigami,"

Hitsugaya scowled heavily.

"To put it in more descriptive words, they want to commit genocide to the entire shinigami race and create their_ own_ army,"

The old man opened up an eye again. "The rest is very vague and doesn't add up, but we do know this: Kusana Hachi is considered a traitor to them. We don't know why, but I can assume that is why she was locked away in that room and looks the way she does," He paused and held his hands behind his back.

"We were also informed that the leaders of the clan know that we have her in custody, and want her dead, but unfortunately their whereabouts are unknown. So that brings you up your assignment,"

Toshiro nodded and stood up straight, preparing to receive it.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro, you are to take Kusana Hachi to the world of the living as her protector; you are to as well become close to her and find out more about her clan,"

"Yes sir!" Hitsugaya nodded.

"Mmm. You are to leave tonight. We have an apartment set up in Karakura town; you are to remain there until further notice. Oh, and by the way," He reached down under his desk and pulled out a long object wrapped up tightly in a beige fabric, then handed it to Toshiro. "Give this to her as well. You are now dismissed,"

The captain nodded and flashed out of the office and headed to his barracks, the object tucked under his arm.

_'Oh joy,' _He thought sarcastically. '_Matsumoto is going to throw a fit,'_

**XOXCHANGEXOX**

"W-what?" I yelped confused.

It had been a couple of hours since Unohana had left the room. I had napped a little and stretched out my limbs, waiting anxiously for my fate.

I had wondered, would death be such a bad thing for me? I mean, I'm mainly useless now, due to the fact that my health was deteriorating, and most likely, my powers are gone. So did it matter if I died? What significance do I have now?

But those thoughts of mine had been thrown away by the news I had just received from Unohana.

"Yes Kusana-san, you are going to go to the World of the Living with Hitsugaya Toshiro, taichou of the tenth division as your protector," She said with a smile.

I blinked and stood up. "Bu-but why?" I asked, highly confused. "Why do I matter? I'm no one!"

The older woman frowned a little and gave me a scolding look. "Now now, don't say such bad things about yourself. Everyone holds a place in this world. Shinigami, noble, human, a soul, and even a hollow, everyone has their place," Her features softened and she patted my shoulder. "You're still young, you haven't found your place yet, but you will soon," She reassured.

I blinked and fought back tears at her kind words. I have never heard more kind words spoken to me in such a long time, this woman had to be an angel.

I bowed lowly "Arigatou gozaimasu, Unohana-tachiou. I appreciate your kind words,"

The older woman smiled and led me out the door. "Now then, let's head to the Senkaimon gate shall we?"

I nodded and followed after her "Yes ma'am!"

**XOXCHANGEXOX**

Toshiro crossed his arms and leaned against the wall next to the gate, the beige 'mystery item' leaning against the wall as well.

Matsumoto had thrown a huge 'girly' fit when he told her the situation.

_Flashback~_

_The busty woman gasped and glomped her captain from behind. "Oh taichou~" She chimed. "This will be such an amazing experience for you~"_

_Toshiro twitched and shrugged her off. "Urusai! This is only a mission, nothing else!" He snapped, annoyed. "Anyway, I don't know when I'll be back, so I expect you to do all of my paperwork and behave yourself!" He ordered._

_The lieutenant pouted and crossed her arms. "But taichou~" She whined_

_"No buts!" He barked and headed for the door. "You will do as I say, or I'll demote you,"_

_Rangiku yelped and shook her head. "No! I'll behave! Please don't demote me~" She begged._

_Toshiro smirked internally and walked opened the door. "We'll see," And with that he flashed off._

_FLASHBACK OVER_

The prodigy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. _'This is going to be a waste of time,' _He thought, annoyed. _'I should be more focused on Aizen, not some random girl,'_

_'Now now,' _Hyorinmaru scolded in his head. _'Think of this as a distraction, a way to get away from your troubles,'_

_'This girl is going to be a trouble! I have a sense of foreboding by just looking at her,'_

Hyorinmaru sighed. _'You should push away that stubbornness for a change. Be open to new things,'_

Hitsugaya twitched and scowled heavily. _'You sound just like Matsumoto!'_

The dragon seemed to shake his head and sighed again. _'Maybe because, she's right,' _His voice trailed off, leaving a small echo in the captains' head.

Toshiro sighed and rubbed his temples, "God fuckin' dammit,' He cursed.

"Now now Hitsugaya-san," A small voice scolded. "You shouldn't use such language,"

The captain looked up at Unohana and stood up straight. "Unohana, why are you here?" He asked, a little confused. "And where is the girl?"

The older captain smiled and nudged Hachi, who was hiding behind her back, in front of her. "Now now, don't be shy," She edged on at the small girl.

Hachi scowled a little and walked in front of the woman reluctantly, but avoiding the gaze that Toshiro was giving her by looking at the ground, as if she was ashamed.

Hitsugaya scowled at the girl, getting a closer look at her. She seemed to be the same from before, just more…clean.

'_Say something,' _He barked in his head.

Hachi scowled heavily and twitched a little, feeling the captains eyes on her.

"Oh for fucks sake, stop staring at me you creep!" Hachi barked her thoughts out loud, then widened her eyes and turned beat red, embarrassed.

Toshiro blinked, completely appalled and speechless at what she just said. _'Well then,' _Hyorinmaru said, highly amused. _'That's the way to break the ice,'_

There was a prolonged moment of awkward silence that was broken by Unohana.

She looked down at the young man and handed him a bag. "This is her medication. She has to take one pill every four hours. Make sure not to over work her and that she gets at least twelve hours of sleep every day, so no going to school or anything like that," She said with a nod.

Toshiro nodded and bowed a little. "Right, arigatou Unohana," He stood back up right and looked down at Hachi, twitching at the girl, still very irritated at her disrespect towards him.

Didn't she know that he was a captain?

"Oi, you, let's go," He said strictly then walked to the gate, the bag slung over his shoulder.

Hachi scowled and walked after him, her arms crossed.

The captain shook his head and rolled his eyes, then looked over at the beige item, grabbed it, and handed it to her.

Hachi blinked and took it with shaky hands, then looked up at him for the first time, and took in his appearance.

She first looked at his white hair that seemed to take gravity and screw it up the ass at how spiky and wild it was. Then, looking down at his face, she blushed a little at his toned, handsome, and stern features that seemed to captivated her.

But that wasn't what Kusana Hachi fell for the most: His teal eyes.

Those beautiful teal eyes that could make anyone who thought they had pretty eyes be put to shame. Those teal eyes engulfed her, pierced through her soul, and sparked a small fire in her; a longing.

A longing to touch his face, and just stare into the orbs forever and try to read his soul.

"It's not nice to stare at people," Toshiro said bluntly, giving Hachi a weird look, and snapping her out of her gawking.

Hachi yelped and bowed lowly. "G-gomenasai!" She said sheepishly.

'_Dammit!' _Hachi cursed in her head. _'This guy is gorgeous! Why the hell did I have to get stuck with him? I'll just get all...all..awkward!'_

Hitsugaya sighed and turned around, heading for the gate again. "The sou-taichou said to give it to you," He said nonchalantly. "You can open it up when we get to the world of the living,"

Hachi yelped and followed after him. "Al-alright,"

The two then stepped through the gate, completely oblivious to the hardships ahead of them.

Ok, so chapter two is finished~ Whew, I worked hard on it~ Oh~ And here is the little vocab thingy

Hayashi Raisu - Hayashi rice is Japanese style hashed beef stew, thinly sliced beef and onions in a demi-glace sauce served over or along side cooked rice.

Korokke - Breaded and deep fried on the outside, and on the inside can contain numerous amounts of fillings. The most common in minced meat and mashed potatoes; the ones that Hachi was eating.

Eral Grey tea- It is a VERY strong tea that contains natural herbs that stabilize your mood.

Review please~ -Greyson-


	4. Chapter 3 Awkwardness

Ok, this is Chapter 3. Umm..sorry for the slightly late update, I had the plauge that gets all writers called: WRITERS BLOCK DUN DUN DUNNN~ But no in all seriousness I did have writers block and I apologize for it. I had a very hectic week, we had an outbreak of tornados here and my internet went out and yadda yadda yadda. On this chapter though, once again I said I had writers block, but I finally got the entire plot down and where I want to go with Instituo and such. I want to give a shout out to my friend Valerie who claims that she's my biggest fan xDD. She's really helped me a lot with some ideas and has been very supportive of me in her own way xD. I also want to thanks to xfang-girlx for the review and giving me some advice on the translations and stuff, she also has a ByakuyaxOC story called Amazakebabaa's Anguish, go check that out if you want she's a very good writer. Um, once again I appreciate all feed back and such, I know the story seems plotless right now but it does pick up and I also apologize for shortness, once again writers block xDD. Ok, well I'll shut up now and let you read Chapter 3~

Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama, Action, Mystery

**Instituo (Forgotten)**

Chapter Three

Awkwardness.

_"I have never seen the slightest scientific proof of the religious ideas of heaven and hell, of future life for individuals, or of a personal God." _  
><em>– Thomas Edison <em>

* * *

><p>"…<em>Her presence is gone.." An eerie deep voice sneered.<em>

"_Hai, I'm guessing that they found her," Came another one, much higher than the other._

_ "Yes they did. They found her and took her to the World of the Living…" Said two sly voices; you can hear the smirk in their tone. _

"_Kuso! We should've killed her when we had the chance!"_

_ "Now now Kenta, just relax, this is going according to plan,"_

**XOXCHANGEXOX**

Hitsugaya and Kusana walked through the dark Senkaimon in a bit of an awkward silence; Hachi was contemplating within herself to apologize to Toshiro whilst he was walking with such nonchalance that it gave Sunshui an even match.

_'Dammit!' _Hachi cursed in her head, looking down at the white light below her*. '_I should apologize..I mean it was just rude to say that to him! He is my protector apparently, so I guess it would be respectful…But would it make things more awkward? Dammit Hachi! Pull yourself together, you can do this!' _

She opened her small mouth to apologize, but chickened out and clamped it shut. Toshiro noticed this and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Oi," The small captain called to her, snapping Hachi out of her thoughts; looking up at Toshiro sheepishly. "If you're going to say something, say it," He said with a strict nod.

Hachi sighed and hesitated before she spoke. "I-I'm sorry for what I said earlier," She shuddered out, a little shakily. "I-It's been a _very _long day for me…so I guess I'm just stressed out,"

Hitsugaya sighed and stretched his arms. "It's fine; just don't disrespect a taichou like that,"

Hachi twitched. One of her pet peeves was people asking for her respect _just _because of their label or authority figure. It was arrogance to her, just sheer arrogance. You have to _earn _someone's respect, not just automatically gain it because of your authority was her philosophy.

"Oi oi oi!" She snapped, looking up at him. "I shouldn't have said that to you because it's against common courtesy, but that doesn't mean that you automatically get my respect just because you are a taichou! You have to _earn _respect, just like everyone else!" Hachi said with a strict nod and a slight scowl.

Toshiro blinked in disbelief. Where was that timid side of her that she had just five minutes ago? Where was the anxiety that was very obvious on her tiny body, which made her cringe with the slightest twitch of anger?

What _was _this side of Kusana Hachi?

The tenth division captain narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "I could kill you with once strike if I wanted to. I am the Taichou of the tenth division, Hitsugaya Toshiro, you are just a lowly soul, you're beneath me, you _have _to respect me," He said coldly.

Hachi scoffed and rolled her purple eyes that had a sudden spark in them. "Oh you are _so _proud of that title are you? I don't _have _to do anything just to fill your egotistical and arrogant complex. And you can't kill me because it is your job to protect me," She retorted.

Hitsugaya opened his mouth for another retort but closed it when the Senkaimon gate opened and a gust of fresh air rustled through their hair.

The ebony head walked out of the gate and looked around Karakura town in awe, taking in the city lights, the many buildings, and the sweet spring air of prosperous human life filled her nostrils.

She walked out a little further and looked at some of the cars. "Whoa….I read about those things…they're..uhh.."

Toshiro walked up beside her and closed his eyes. "Cars, humans use them as transportation," he widened his orbs then realized something. "Oi, how do you know how to walk in mid-air?"

Hachi blinked at the boy and gave him a stupid look. "Use that brain of yours to figure it out _taichou_," She stated flatly then began to walk off.

The prodigy twitched; a red tick mark on his head. "Teme! Get back here!" He barked and jogged after her.

Hachi grinned internally and a sudden spark of warmth shot through her bones, causing her to blink in surprise. "What..was that?" She asked herself, her free hand to her chest.

The captain scowled and looked down at her. "Are you ok?" He asked almost no real worry in his tone.

The girl sighed and nodded, putting her hand back to her side. "Yeah, let's head to the apartment,"

Toshiro pulled out a piece of paper from his shikasho containing the address and began to walk in that direction, Hachi trailing behind him.

After ten minutes or so, the two arrived at the apartment. Toshiro pulled out the keys and opened the door; not half a step in, he fell on his ass as Hachi ran past him and straight into the apartment, looking at everything.

"Whoa! " She chimed, sparkles in her eyes as she looked at the furniture. "These couches are so soft! Oh! And so is this chair! Oh my god is this coffee table marble?" Her attention diverted onto the entertainment system at the back wall of the living room.

"Ahhhh~ so shiny~" She chimed, running her fingers across the glass of the sixty inch or so plasma screen TV. "I don't even know what it is, but it's cool!"

Hitsugaya sweat dropped as he watched the girl run through _every _room in the small apartment. To his surprise, the apartment wasn't western styled at all, rather more based on the States*.

There wasn't any tatami, and it was rather spacious. The floors had a white shag carpet; the kitchen had a nice island in the middle with tiled floor. There were two rooms, with actual beds and one States styled bathroom.

After walking about, he had to estimate that the apartment had to be _at least_ one thousand square feet.

He sighed and walked into what he was guessing was his room; Hachi had taken the other and was observing all over the room.

'_Why do I _always _get stuck with the annoying one?' _

'_No offense master, but you need to loosen up,' _The spirit spoke in his head. _'I like that girl; she had the nerve to stand up to you,'_

Toshiro twitched. "Oh you would say that!" He snapped a loud _just _as Hachi walked by. "Yo, havin' problems with your Zanpakuto?" She asked, deadpanning.

Hitsugaya ignored her and lied down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The girl shrugged and walked over to the living room, remembering the item wrapped for her that she had set on the couch.

She sat down and put it in her lap, then began to unwrap it.

Slowly, very slowly, she peeled away the fabric from the item. A sense of anxiousness overwhelmed Hachi, causing her to rush at peeling away the fabric.

At last she succeeded.

Hachi gasped and touched the item before her: her Zanpakuto in its purple sheathe.

With a shaky hand, she ran her fingers over the pure white hilt, and then onto the double-sided rectangle guard. One white and one black, both with holes in the middle.

Under the Zanpakuto was her uniform; sleeveless and backless, with a black hakama.

The girl held her sword up to her head and closed her eyes. "…Speak to me…Aspros Diamones..*"

A small burst of black and white reiatsu came from the sword in a spiraling motion.

'_Master' _A cool and light voice echoed throughout the room.

Toshiro walked into the room and scowled at Hachi. "Oi, what's going on?"

She looked up at him and smiled faintly then looked back down at the sword and rubbed his smooth sheath. "It's my Zanpakuto..I have her back.." She mumbled happily.

Hitsugaya blinked and raised his eyebrows in slight shock. "Your Zanpakuto…that means you're a shinigami..?"

The girl nodded "Yeah, I trained in the Shino Academy then in the Onmitsukido,"

"Demo, why were you never ranked and put in that room?" He asked, slightly glaring at the girl.

Hachi huffed and shot up from her seat, crossing her frail arms defiantly. "I'm not telling you!"

Toshiro sighed and dropped his shoulders. _'This girl was going to be such a handful; how the hell am I supposed to get any information from her?' _ The prodigy watched her as she began to straighten out her shinigami uniform. _'She did train to be a shinigami, could that be the reason why she's considered a traitor? But if she completed the course of the Academy and the elite Onmitsukido, wouldn't she be able to fight back?' _He sighed. _'Damn,'_

Kusana sighed as she fingered the fabric of her uniform. "This isn't going to fit anytime soon..." She mumbled.

"Well you just need to gain weight," Hitsugaya said flatly, putting his arms behind his head.

"Speaking of which…" Hachi ran into the kitchen and looked through the shelves, her face dropping into a light frown.

"There's no food…come to think of it..there's no sundries anywhere.." She said, looking through the empty refrigerator, drawers, and other shelves.

Toshiro sighed and walked into the kitchen, leaning against the wall acting nonchalant. "Of course there isn't, we have to go to the store to get those things. But first we need to go to Urahara Kisukes shop to get our gigai," He said with a nod.

Hachi nodded and the two headed down to the man's shop.

"Well well well, what do we have here~?" Urahara asked, waving his fan at the two. "The infamous Hitsugaya-taichou with some girl~? Hmmm, quite sketchy don't ya think~?"

The captain twitched "Shut the hell up Urahara Kisuke!" He yelled, annoyed.

The store owner turned away with fake hurt and chibi tears. "Hitsugaya-taichou is so mean~"

He growled. "I'll be harsher if you continue!" The small man snapped and crossed his arms, closing his teal eyes. "Anyway, have you prepared the gigai for us?"

The man stood up, instantly regaining his normal laid back stature. "Yes yes. Jinta, bring them out please~!" Kisuke called, looking over his shoulder.

The small red headed boy came up and handed the two bodies to their respected owners.

Toshiros gigai had his normal black polo shirt with gray pants and golden brown shoes. Hachis gigai on the other hand wore a light gray zip-up hoodie with a maroon shirt underneath, dark blue skinny jeans, and canvas sneakers.

"Not bad.." Hachi mumbled, looking at her clothes.

Hitsugaya just shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets and turned around. "Let's go Kusana," He headed out the door.

Hachi twitched and walked after him "It's Hachi, Hach, Hachi-san or Hachi-chan, Not Kusana!" She ranted, flailing her arms.

The boy sighed. "Shut up, I'll call you what I want,"

Urahara waved at the two then sighed and put his fan back over his face. "This..shall be interesting,"

Kusana Hachi and Hitsugaya Toshiro bickered all throughout the store. Hachi wanted a lot of junk food including chips, cupcakes, Meji, ice cream, and Pocky; her reasoning that it would help her gain weight faster. Toshiro on the other hand wanted her to get healthier foods with plenty of proteins and vitamins.

In the end the two got a proportional amount of junk and healthy food all together. As well, they bought clothes and sundries.

When the two arrived at the house, Hachi began to put the groceries away, but there was a disadvantage to the cabinets.

"Ehhhh, Toshiro.." She called, looking over her shoulder at him. "I can't reach the cabinet~"

He twitched and walked up to her and put the food in the cabinet that she was trying to reach, though he had to get on the tips of his toes to do so. "It's Hitsugaya-taichou!" He snapped

Hachi twitched a red tick mark on her head. "I'll call you what I want!" She mocked in his voice.

Toshiro rolled his eyes and opened up the bottle of pills for Hachi then poured her some water. "Take it," The girl pouted and took the pills and swallowed them down with water. "Ugh~" She cringed, putting the glass down. "Disgusting,"

The captain shrugged it off and sat out the couch and pulled out his soul pager. "It's ten, go to bed," He said strictly.

She blinked. "Demo, Toshiro, don't you want dinner? I can make you something," The girl said with a nod.

Toshiro eyed her curiously then waved her off. "Whatever, make me whatever,"

Hachi nodded and walked into the kitchen and started to get the things ready. Toshiro heard shuffling all over the kitchen coming from the girl. He heard some things sizzling and the rice maker going off. And after about ten minutes or so, he was served a nice hot bowel of Gyudon.

The boy blinked and took his first bite of the meat with his wooden chop sticks and widened his eyes at the flavor.

"This is actually really good.." He mumbled, in spite of himself. Hachi grinned and put her hands on her hips. "Of course! I haven't cooked in a long time, so I'm a little rusty, but I'm glad you enjoyed it,"

Hitsugaya nodded and continued to eat his food then looked up at the clock. "Oh, it's ten, you should go to bed now,"

She nodded and walked to her bedroom. "Don't have to tell me twice…"

The boy sighed and put the bowel down and started at his hands. '_She's quite a mystery…' _

The small girl changed into a light blue night gown she bought at the store and lied down on her bed and stared out the window into the night sky, reflecting on the day.

'…_To think that I was trapped in my old room for such a long time, and now I'm in the world of the living under the protection of Hitsugaya Toshiro, taichou of the tenth division…' _ She closed her eyes and curled up in the warm blankets. _'Please let me wake up here,'_

And with that Kusana Hachi fell into a deep slumber, perhaps the best one that she had had in a _very _long time.

'_Hach I can't believe you're transferring to the Onmitsukido! That's amazing!' A girl with blonde hair covering her whole face except her right eye, the brown orb filled with joy._

'_I know! Isn't it great Amaya-chan? The head master was the one that recommended me going. I can't believe it! Maybe I might become a third seat or something!' Hachi smiled at her friend, her skin slightly pale but with a pink undertone, her hair to her shoulders and in a small pony tail. _

'_You'll be seeing your caretaker first thought right?' _

_She shook her head. 'No, I want to go through the full course before I go back to see her. Plus, you know I don't want to get caught,' The girl turned around and waved her friend off as she headed for the Onmitsukido building. 'I'll return Amaya-chan! See ya around! Good luck!'_

'_But you didn't return Hach…'_

Hachis eyes shot open and darted around the room, slowly remembering where she was. She sighed and sat up, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh yeah, I forgot,"

After a couple moments of silence. "…WHY THE HELL AM I AWAKE? I SHOULD BE SLEEPING IN THE COMFY BED!" She shouted to herself then plopped back down under the soft, blue fleece of the blankets and resting her head on the soft pillow.

A couple hours later, Hachi awoke and checked the time: 9:45. She shrugged her boney shoulders. "Eh, close enough,"

Kusana sighed and walked over to the dresser, and pulled out some fresh clothes then walked to the bathroom.

"Hmm, Toshiro must still be asleep," Kusana mumbled to herself, seeing that his door was closed. "Ahh well, more shower time for me,"

She walked into the bathroom then started the shower and noticed something "Oh, forgot a towel," Then, while completely naked, and thinking that Toshiro wouldn't wake up, she trotted over to the closet in the living room to retrieve her towel.

But what she didn't realize was that Toshiro was awake, and heading toward the bathroom. He stopped as he heard the water running. "I didn't leave the water on and it looks like Kusana is still asleep…" He shrugged it off and stepped in the shower, closing the door.

Hachi walked back to the bathroom with her towel and tilted her head to the side. "I didn't close the door…oh well," She opened it, and ran right into Toshiro who had stepped out to get the soap that he left out on the sink counter.

It took them a minute to realize what happened. "….WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU WET?" Hachi screamed quickly putting the towel over her body, blushing heavily and looking mortified.

"WHY ARE YOU NAKED?" Toshiro screamed back, jumping back into the shower and covering his waist, his face beat red as well.

Hachi darted out of the room and slammed the door shut then leaned against it and trembled "Oh my god, oh my god. I just saw him..I saw his.." Her whole body turned red again.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?"

* * *

><p>Ok, that was Chapter three. Please Review~ And here are the translations~<p>

Demo-But

Oi- Hey

Teme- Rude way of saying "You"

Tatami- Type of mats that most of western style Japan places on the floor of their apartments

As for the apartment itself- Japanese apartments are MUCH different than from those of the United States. They are EXTREMELY small and I just don't like that xD. So, I went for more American style

Aspros Diamones- White Demon.

-San- An honor-fic in a way of says Mr., Ms. etc.

-Chan- Used between girls mostly, its an honor-fic though, I like to see it as more of a term of endirement.

Umm...I think thats all...umm..Review please x3~ Bai bai

Greyson out


	5. Chapter 4 Art

HELLOOO LOVLIES :D. Um...yeah sorry for another late update...I have terrible "story writing" schedule's and it leads to writers block and yeah. Um..well, this is FINALLY where things start to settle and take place. I know, another boring chapter, at least in my eyes anyway. But I try to make it as amusing as possible. Umm..what else..oh. If you have any questions, PM me anytime, and I'll answer as quicky as I can. Um..and I think thats it! Translations are at the bottom. Enjoy~

Genre: Romance, Humor, Drama, Action, Mystery

**Instituo (Forgotten)**

Chapter Four.

Art.

_Cleverness is not wisdom. _  
><em>Euripides. <em>

* * *

><p>Toshiro had just finished his shower and walked to the couch and sat down, still mortified and shocked. He had never seen <em>any <em>female naked before; not even his lieutenant or Hinamori. He wasn't a crude man either. He never _tried _to see any girl naked or ever _wanted _too. Hitsugaya Toshiro was as innocent as they come, until now.

_'My my master, you saw your first naked female. You're finally growing into a man.' _The Zanpakuto mocked in his head.

Toshiro let out a low growl and blocked Hyorinmaru out of his head and shivered.

The boy sat on the couch staring at the wall with widened eyes in silence from the time he heard Hachis shower start to when it stopped.

Hachi was mortified as well. She obviously knew what the man genitalia looked like from reading sex anatomy books, but she had never seen one in the flesh. It wouldn't really matter to her if it was just a random person, but this was the boy that she'll be forced to live with for god knows how long.

_'You always manage to make everything awkward master.' _an eerie voice stated in her head; it being rather feminine but borderline monotonous.

Hachi flinched and stopped dressing herself, staring stupidly and blankly into the mirror. "U..uh…"

The spirit sighed. _'Baka. It's me, you're Zanpakuto. Don't tell me that you don't remember how to talk to me through your thoughts.' _

The girl sweat dropped and continued to put on her clothes.

_'Aspros, it's been a long time hasn't it?' _

_'I told you to call me by my full name, kusotare!'_ It scolded harshly, but keeping the coolness.

Hachi sighed and wrapped her hair in the towel then secured it on the top of her head; her footing faltered a bit. The weight of her hair, plus the damp towel, was too much for her small body and she crashed to the floor; causing her bath things to spill all over the floor and a shaving razor slipping across the top of her arm, leaving a slightly deep cut.

She winced and scowled, putting her hand on her arm to stop the bleeding. Toshiro burst into the bathroom and kneeled beside her. "What happened? You're bleeding." He looked at her arm and scowled.

Hachi grinned up at him sheepishly and shook her head. "I uh…lost my balance." She said with a nervous laugh.

Toshiro sighed dramatically and rubbed his temples. "Oh for the love of.." He shook his head and looked at her arm. "Baka! How the hell can you just fall like that?" The boy helped Hachi up and sat her on the closed toilet lid. "Stay there!"

Hachi sighed and leaned against the commode in a slouch, staring at the white wall in front of her.

_'Kusotare,' _Aspros Diamones sighed dramatically. _'How in the hell can you be a shinigami if you're such a klutz?' _

The girl sweat dropped and groaned. "Urusai." Toshiro walked into the bathroom and kneeled down beside her, tending to the wound with some anti-biotic and a damp wash cloth.

The two stayed in a silence, completely forgetting what had happened earlier. Toshiro finished after a couple minutes then stood up and crossed his arms, scowling down at her. "Why did you fall?"

Kusana blinked and tapped her chin. "Hmm…well, I was wrapping my hair up in a towel and I put it on the top of my head uh…I guess it was too heavy for me." She said with some sort of enthusiasm.

He sweat dropped a little and shook his head. "You're a mess." He turned around and walked out of the bathroom. "Clean this up." Toshiro said, walking down the hall, he stopped abruptly and blushed a little, remembering something. "Oh, and one final thing..don't speak of what happened earlier." Hachi huffed and turned away, blushing as well. "Don't have to tell me twice.." Then she began to clean up the tooth brushes and such.

**XOXCHANGEXOX**

I sighed and sat down on the couch, rubbing the back of my neck. Not even a full day has gone by and Kusana has already caused me trouble. Just the mere thought of being stuck with her for a prolonged period of time made me grimace. I had more productive things to do rather than sitting on the couch as the day goes by, waiting for orders to head back to the Soul Society to go back to my normal life.

_'The sou-taichou had said that they're interrogating some of her clan members and that he wanted me to get information from her as well,' _I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes. _'If I become closer to her more quickly and gain that information, I can give it to the sou-taichou and the investigation will end quicker which means I'll go back sooner. But how do I get close to her?' _

I heard her foot steps from the hall and scowled deeper. _'Damn, I'm not good at these types of things.' _

Kusana walked into the room while holding her stomach. "Ehhh, I'm hungry~" She complained.

My eye twitched; she whines _just _like Matsumoto. "Well go make you something to eat then." I stated flatly, looking away from her. She huffed and walked into the kitchen "Fine, but you're making your own food."

"Cheh, fine, doesn't matter to me," I retorted. "Just take your pills and eat."

Kusana turned around and gave me a sarcastic smile. "Oh ok~" She then rolled her eyes and marched into the kitchen.

'_Just yesterday, she was a timid, anxious, and meek. Now she's showing her colors.' _I twitched. _'She is a brat. A full on, immature, sarcastic, brat'. _

_'Just like yourself?' _Hyorinmaru remarked; I simply ignored him.

An hour or so had passed by and I was sitting on the couch, watching the Karakura news channel. Kusana had gone into her room after she made her breakfast which consisted of some scrambled eggs and bacon, which smelled fairly marvelous I might add. But ever since then I haven't heard a word coming from her room.

I sighed and crossed my legs, initiative to the news report on the station. _'I won't get anywhere if I sit on my ass all day,' _I stood up and headed toward her room. _'I gotta think of something.'_

I knocked on the door and heard some rustling within; a moment later Kusana came out _covered _in paint and an idiotic grin on her face. "Yo Toshiro, what brings you here?"

A red tick mark slapped on my forehead "Hitsugaya-taichou! And what the hell are you doing in here?" I asked, greatly annoyed.

Her grin grew wider. "I'll show you," She grabbed my arm and dragged me into the room. I looked at her, bewildered. _No one_ had _ever _touched me; not even Hinamori or Matsumoto. Most people were afraid to touch me, others just knew not too. But this girl had the nerve…

She dragged me over to an open space; my jaw dropped. There were towels all over the floor, splattered in all different shades of paint. In the middle of the towels, laid a painting canvas, with elegant brush strokes of different color that looked to be like..

"Sakura tree." I blurted stupidly, looking down at it. I hated to admit it with every fiber in my body, but it was actually phenomenal. The strokes were gentle with just the right amount of pressure for each leaf, the colors of the bark were blended perfectly; over all the painting was amazing.

Kusana grinned and wiped some paint from her pale cheek. "How did you get all of this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. She tapped her chin. "Hmmm..let's see. Well, while we were at the store, I snuck off and bought some sketching and painting supplies." I nodded and looked down at the painting again. "That's why the payment was much more than I anticipated…" I mumbled, sweat dropping.

I watched the girl get to her knees and hover over the picture, smiling. "The only two things that I'm good at are painting and cooking, and I really enjoy them." I stayed quiet, not knowing out to respond. She remained quiet for a little bit, as if she was contemplating something, but eventually she started to finish the painting.

Just then something snapped in my head: an idea. I turned on my heel and walked swiftly out of the room and too the kitchen to find the phonebook. After flipping through what seemed to be like two hundred ads, I finally came across to what I was looking for; an art club.

** "Nishimura Shins' Art Club; West Karakura Town" **was typed in big bold letters in the middle of the page. I pulled out my soul pager and dialed the number, waiting patiently as it rang; someone picked up.

_"Moshi moshi, how may I help you?" _The receptionist answered from the other line; the voice female.

"Yeah, I would like to join your art club." I stated.

I heard some typing on a keyboard from the other side. _"Alright, and what is the name?"_

"Kusana Hachi."

_"Alright, the club meetings are from twelve to four on Monday through Thursday and a fee two thousand four hundred and thirty nine yen at the end of every Thursday." _

_'Not that bad.' _ "Hai, Arigatou gozaimashite." The receptionist gave me the address and hung up. I sighed and stretched out my arms and pinned the note to the refrigerator.

"This will be interesting."

**XOXCHANGEXOX **

"WHAT?" I exclaimed, my jaw a gape. "I told you, you're going to an art club starting tomorrow." Toshiro stated again.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I look like an anorexic freak! How the hell am I supposed to go in public?" I shook his shoulders, extremely frantic.

"You went to the store with me last night." He stated dryly, deadpanning.

"It was night! No one was out! There will be people and they'll stare at me!"

He turned away from me with his hands in his pockets and headed out of the room. "Well that's too bad," Toshiro stopped in the door way. "I'll take you there and go on patrol for hollows, but I won't be going that far."

I sweat dropped and shook my head franticly "That's not fair! Why do I have to do this any way?" He looked over shoulder and at me; I could see a ghost of a smirk on his face. "Reasons." And with that he waltzed out of the room, closing my door.

I clenched my fists and yet out a yell of frustration. "Okasuzo kora!"

I mumbled and grumbled as I stormed over to the art club building with Toshiro walking in his Shinigami form beside me. I woke up grudgingly and tried to fake sick; obviously he was a fuckin' genius and knew automatically that I was faking.

He called me childish and explained that it was for my own good and making friends would make me seem less crazy. I simply replied with flipping him off and sending a river of profanities at him.

Though he had no idea, no idea how I felt about myself. Hell, I weigh twenty pounds, have a skin color that would be considered albino, and oh I dunno, I WAS SHORT AS HELL! I look like I belong in a mental hospital in the high level security unit.

I felt Toshiros eyes on me. "What?" I barked, looking over at him. He raised an eyebrow and looked ahead again. "You look crazy talking to yourself like that." I twitched.

"Shut up! _You _are the one talking to me in your Shinigami form, so what the hell am I supposed to do?"

Toshiro grunted and turned away. "You bastard answer me dammit!" I yelled at him causing some bystanders to stare. Oh great, just fucking great.

"We're here." He stated bluntly, stopping in front of a building amongst the other cluster of buildings in a tight cul-de-sac.

It was rather small and basic with a few windows and made out of brick, but it looked well put together and clean. On one of the windows "**Nishimura Shin Art Club" **was written in white and bold letters; a few cars were in the parking lot.

"Not too shabby." I mumbled to myself while still staring at the building. "What did ya think I was gonna send you too?" Toshiro remarked sarcastically. "Some sort of project?" I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, not answering him.

He sighed and looked over at me. "Like I said, I won't be that far. I'll meet you here at four." And with that he flashed off. I sighed and opened the building door and took a couple steps in, looking around. I let out a gasp of surprise and widened my eyes greatly.

I walked into an art galleria, an alluring art galleria. Mounted on the walls were _hundreds _of paints and sketches; abstract, gothic, still life, photography, all of it was absolutely amazing. Forgetting all about the art club, I wandered around the aisles, gawking at all of the art work. That is, until I was roughly grabbed by the arm and spun around.

My grabber was a middle aged woman with slick and cropped black hair that was cut into a bob. She had brown eyes, wore a knee-length kaki skirt, and a blue blouse that her name tag pinned on it: **Yoshida-san. **

"Are you some homeless kid or something?" She barked at me; her breath smelling like rotten garlic. "Why are you here?"

I blinked stupidly for an instant then scowled and yanked my arm out of her grip. "I am not a homeless kid and I'm here for the art class! My name is Kusana Hachi!" I barked back.

The woman scowled and narrowed her eyes at me. For an instant we were in some sort of staring contest before she turned away and began to walk down the aisle that I was in. "Ahem, this way." I followed her with my arms crossed.

As we made our way to the door, I felt that sudden raw pit of anxiety in my stomach again. Many thoughts raced through my head mainly: "Run bitch run!" but I fought the urge and looked on ahead. We arrived at the door moments later. "Here," Yoshida-san said flatly. "This is the club room; try not to freak the others out."

I gave her a look as she opened the door and pushed me in, then nudged past me and walked elsewhere in the room. Relief washed over at me when I saw that no one was there yet.

'_We arrived early, thank god.' _I looked around and sat down at one out of the eight art tables in the room. The floor was tiled, in the back were large cabinets and drawers, too the right of the door was a large cupboard, and right next to that was a teacher's desk with Yoshida-san talking to a man.

He looked elderly; many wrinkles all over the portions of his face and exposed arms underneath the rolled up beige long sleeve beige shirt. A few thin wisps of hair cascaded on top over pale blue eyes and fair skin. He must've been quite handsome in his early adult years.

The elderly man smiled at me and motioned me over with a boney had. I blinked and walked over to him, forcing a small smile on my face and bowing at him. "Konichiwa um…uh.."

"Nishimura," He said with a warm smile on his face. I blinked and nodded "Konichiwa Nishimura-san!" I said sheepishly. The man seemed to chuckle and he patted my head. I yelped and looked up at him, confused. "W-what?"

"You have an odd name young one. Hachi does mean eight, no?" I twitched and dropped my head, a dark aura forming around me. It had been _years _since I heard that gag. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My name is commonly used for the number eight. Damn mother.

"My name is supposed to mean flower pot. Not eight." Nishimura-san chuckled again. "Oh I know, I'm just pulling your leg." He stated sweetly. I looked up at him and, despite myself, I smiled at him. "Oh that's good." Damn sensitive spot for old people.

Yoshida-san spoke up a moment later. "Ahem, just make sure to pay your fee." And with that she left. I blinked but shook my head, so did Nishimura-san.

"Don't mind her. She's not as welcoming to new people." He reassured, looking at me with that same warm smile. "Yeah no kidding.." I mumbled to myself, shifting my eyes around the room.

It was weird. Nishimura-san didn't seem to be puzzled about how I looked; he didn't stare at me with a confused look. That must've been a first; the only one who didn't really "judge" me was Unohana-san. It's strange but a good thing I guess…

There was a bit of a silence before I spoke. "So, are the others coming?" I asked, _honestly _hoping no one else would be there.

"Yeah, there are a five other people that come here. They're usually a little late, but they always make up for it with their art."

I blinked and looked down, rubbing my arm nervously. "R-right.." Great, now a bunch of teenagers, pre-pubescent teens, or children are going to look at me and gossip. _Great _idea Toshiro; cheh what an ass.

Just then, the door burst open and five figures walked in.

Aw shit, help me now.

**XOXCHANGEXOX**

I sighed and leaned against an air conditioner and stared out into the sky; I was on top of the art building. My idea was that if she was around people who were more social, then it would open her up more and break some of her "wall" down so I could gain more information. If she spends the day with her friends, and comes home and talks about it to me, then perhaps I could get her to talk about her past and all the information I needed.

_'Master, don't you think that's cruel, just to manipulate someone like that?' _

I sighed and shrugged. _'Those shinigami that her clan were hung, drawn and quartered, don't you think that's a little crueler?' _ He stayed silent for awhile.

_'I think it would be easier if you just grew closer to her yourself.' _

_'No it wouldn't. If she grew closer to me than to others, she would eventually find out that I'm just using her to get information, which would cause more of a burden on my shoulders. If she grows closer to others, I can get the information from her and leave without too much of a problem. Besides, I'm not a social person anyway.' _

I heard him sigh. _'Alright master, just be careful.' _I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, whatever."

* * *

><p>R&amp;R<p>

Hung, drawn and quartered- The victims were first hung by the neck but taken from the scaffold while still alive. The entrails and genitals are then removed (drawn), the head cut off and the torso hacked into four quarters.

Baka- Idiot

Urusai- Shut up

Moshi Moshi- A japanese greeting only over the phone

Arigatou gozaimashite- Thank you very much

Okasuzo kora- Fuck you

Konichiwa- Good afternoon

And Hachi does literary mean eight, but it does have two other meanings which is "Bee" and "Flower pot" in this case, I chose flowerpot

Have a nice day~


End file.
